Tech

Windows 8 Will Cost You $120 After Jan. 31

Microsoft launched Windows 8 in the fall with attractive pricing — just $39.99 for Windows 7, Vista or XP users — but come February the price goes up. Way up.

After the promotional upgrade offer ends on Jan. 31, anyone running an older version of Windows will have to pay $119.99 for the privilege of running Windows 8, a Microsoft blog post reveals. And that's just the basic edition; if you want Windows 8 Pro, it'll cost you $199.99.

While it's a steep increase, jacking the price up on Windows 8 upgrades makes some sense. Although Microsoft has provided few details about how many machines are actually now running Windows 8, reports suggest the platform isn't performing as well as expected. By giving users a deadline, it encourages anyone on the fence to buy now, potentially giving adoption of the new OS a final big push.

The new pricing plan has options than just the basic and Pro upgrade products. If you buy a PC with basic Windows 8 and decide to upgrade after the deadline, that'll cost you $99.99. And Windows 8 Pro users can add Windows Media Center and DVD playback via the Media Center Pack for $9.99.

If you're building a PC from scratch, none of these options are what you're looking for. Microsoft says you'll want the Windows 8 System Builder — a product usually reserved for OEMs — which typically runs around $100-$165.

If you're interested in upgrading to Windows 8 for cheap, there's still time. Windows 8 Pro costs just $40 for the next 13 days, or if you really want the DVD copy, you can buy one at retail for $69.99.

The full breakdown on the new pricing is below. Tell us what you think of Microsoft jacking up the price in the comments.

BONUS: A Tour of Windows 8

Windows 8 Review

Windows 8, Fully Formed

The new Windows is here. Windows 8 is a dramatic departure from Windows 7, blowing up the Start menu into a vibrant Start Screen that's electric with activity and well suited for touch devices like tablets. Despite some inconsistencies (particularly with the traditional desktop, which still exists), the new interface is powerful, fast and convenient.

Charms

Wherever you are in the system, you can always call up the "Charms" from the right side -- a set of top-level commands that include Start, Search, Share, Devices and Settings.

Sharing

Microsoft re-defined how apps communicate with each other, letting you share from any app that enables it. This is how sharing from the Netflix app looks, but the same functionality exists in most other apps with shareable content, calling up a similar list of sharing services.

Snap View

Snap is kind of the new minimize, letting you put two apps side by side with one of them shrunk to a vertical column. It's useful when the app is well suited to a scrolling list, like Bing.

Desktop Oddities

Although the desktop still exists in Windows 8, the new UI is ever-present. It makes for some odd mash-ups, like this modern-looking Wi-Fi settings menu. Other functions call up traditional dialogs.

Windows Store

The Windows Store has the same clean look and feel as other modern-UI apps, although it could use more big-name apps.

New York Times App

The New York Times app mirrors the look of Microsoft's news apps, with a horizontal scroll of stories you can naturally swipe through. The swiping works much better with a touchscreen, since on a touchpad swipe tends to take you too far ahead or back.

Rowi Twitter Client

Here's how a Twitter client looks in Windows 8. Twitter has said it's working on its own Windows 8 app.

Syncing Via the Cloud

One powerful feature of Windows 8 is your identity is portable -- if you have a Microsoft ID, you can log in to another Windows 8 PC, and it'll import your settings via the cloud, effectively becoming your PC. You can even download your own apps to the new machine once you authorize it.

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